


The Ink of a new Dawn

by EllieWan



Series: Sweetie Pie (Ace/Thermite) [9]
Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Getting Tattooed, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29402340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieWan/pseuds/EllieWan
Summary: To crown the end of his mourning process, Thermite gets some tattoos.Ace accompanies him for this special moment. And as usual, it's quite something.
Relationships: Håvard "Ace" Haugland/Jordan "Thermite" Trace
Series: Sweetie Pie (Ace/Thermite) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985390
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	The Ink of a new Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there :D 
> 
> This was first meant to be [Boom Boom](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27807820/)'s post-epilogue, but I eventually cut it off because I found it didn't work enough as a fic's "final words" back then. But since I kinda liked it anyway, I reworked it a bit and here it is. Hope you'll enjoy it! :) 
> 
> \+ This is also kind of a prequel to [I'd like the snow a lot more if I didn't have to drive in it](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27994293) haha  
> \+ I don't think it's required to have read Boom Boom before, though it's obviously way better to understand the scene.  
> \+ Sorry for any mistake / weird phrasing.

“Don’t tell me you’re anxious because of the needle!” Jordan exclaimed. “You were a medic! You’ve stitched people before!”

“I know, I know. But there’s a difference between stitching someone’s wound, administrating medication, putting an IV or whatever… and watching my sweetie pie getting _pierced_ for 5 hours by a needle that makes the noise of the _Apocalypse!_ ”

“Come on, you’re not gonna faint, right?”

“Of course not, I’m… I’m… “

When the needle went back into Jordan’s skin, Håvard mouth opened agape, hanging with shock as his eyes widened.

“Babe?” Jordan asked. “Come on, it’s just-“

“I need some air.”

Jordan chuckled as Håvard quickly left the room.  
… before coming back a few seconds later:

“No, no, no. I can do it. I want to be here. With you. During this… hard time.”

“I’m not really sure whose hard time it’s supposed to be,” Jordan chuckled.

Håvard went back to his chair, next to where Jordan was lying on his stomach while getting his back tattooed. Håvard gulped at the sight (and the noise!) of the needle getting back into his boyfriend’s skin, and shook his head. The tattoo artist repressed a smile at the comedic scene.

“Come on, baby. You can do this,” Jordan joked.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Håvard mumbled.

“It’s bearable.”

Håvard gently nodded. He himself had a tattoo, but it was nothing compared to the three pieces Jordan was getting. The artist had told them the first session would last 5h, maybe more if Jordan could take more; but there would anyway be two additional sessions afterwards, especially for the colors and shadows.

“Thanks for being here,” Jordan told him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“It’s normal, sweetie pie. It’s important. I mean, thank _you_ for letting me assist this.”

“Y’know, it’s strange, but I somehow already feel better.”

“About what?”

“About all this. The grief, the mourning, the hopelessness… I don’t even have the tats yet, but the mere process feels… I don’t know, good?”

“Are you honestly telling me you enjoy being in pain? You realize that sounds really masochistic.”

Jordan chuckled:

“Nah, it’s not like that. It’s more like what Olivier and Meg’ said. About the ritual. I feel something being lifted off inside of me.”

Håvard smiled at him, gently stroking his free hand.

“I’m not 100% sure I get all of it, I’ve not been there,” he disclaimed. “But if it makes you feel better, then it’s a good thing. And I’m happy.”

Jordan smiled and gently asked:

“I was wondering… since you’ll soon be on leave too… would you like us to… y’know, do something?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. We could spend a few days together… outside of the base?”

“Who are you, and what did you do to my sweetie pie? Going outside of the base? You?”

Jordan chuckled:

“C’mon, I’m not talking about spending two months in Hawaii.”

Håvard gently squeezed his hand:

“So, you want us to spend our leave together?” Håvard asked for confirmation.

“Yeah? You don’t?”

“Of course, I want to! And I have an idea of what we could do,” he replied with a smirk.

“Huh?”

“We could go to Norway.”

Jordan timidly repressed a smile, before widening his eyes, his face paling.

“What’s wrong?” Håvard quickly added. “It’s ok, if you don’t want to, I-“

“Isn’t it like cold like death in your country? I was talking about having some good time together, not dying of hypothermia!”

Håvard giggled, and so did the silent tattoo artist who couldn’t repress a chuckle.

“You’re not going to die. It’s not that bad. It’s like… a slightly colder Canada?”

“I hate Canada.”

“You love Frost and Buck.”

“I hate Canada except for Frost and Buck.”

“Have you ever seen northern lights?”

Jordan pursed his lips, carefully squinting at Håvard.

“… What if I haven’t?” he mumbled.

“Then we _need_ to go to Norway.”

Jordan chuckled, rolling his eyes.

“You’re not going to give up that easily, huh?”

“We have great skiing stations and gorgeous fjords too. We could go hiking, do some canoeing… ”

Jordan looked at him with a fond gaze. Håvard was smiling with a very special version of his usual grin; the one he always had when talking about his country. It was a gentle blend of nostalgia, euphoria, bewilderment, and treasuring.

“Then I guess we could give it a try,” Jordan murmured, “but I’d need to buy some clothes against the cold.”

“Hm… are you suggesting we go shopping together?” Håvard immediately replied with a smirk. “Because that sounds very enticing too.”

“With you around, I’m never getting bored, huh?”

“Nope.”

Jordan chuckled, squeezing Håvard’s hand in his.

“I love you,” he said.

“Love you too…” Håvard replied.

Jordan smiled then slowly closed his eyes. Håvard let go of his hand, letting Jordan concentrating on his pain management and probably his inner relaxation exercises. He took out his phone to check on his social media, but stopped at the main menu… and gently stroked the screen at the sight of his background picture.

Their first couple photo.

He looked up to peep at Jordan’s gorgeous face, his silver eyes concealed by his closed eyelids, his greying stubble and resting features. He didn’t look in pain the slightest. He was taking it like a champ. But for once, Håvard sort of felt that Jordan wasn’t hiding anything, anymore.

He went back to his phone, swiping on his social media, replying to a few messages, liking some others and started looking for pictures from his favorite places in Norway; there was just so much he wanted to show him, to share with him. He hadn’t been this opened with anyone before, but somehow it didn’t feel like being vulnerable – it felt like happiness.

“You know, we have a place in an old fisherman village, a few kilometers above the Arctic circle. We like to go there with my mom during holidays and I was thinking- Jordan you hear me?”

But Jordan didn’t reply anything. His eyelids closed, his face resting.

And it couldn’t be possible, could it?

Håvard was gaping:

“Jordan? Are you _sleeping_?”

The tattoo artist stopped a few seconds to steal a glance at Jordan’s face, and shrugged with a chuckle.

“ _Helvete_ , you’re totally sleeping!” Håvard exclaimed while trying to keep his voice as low as possible. “Who honestly falls asleep while getting tattooed?!”

“People with great pain resistance. Or people with good endorphins,” the tattoo artist said. “Either way, it’s often people who are used to hurting.”

Håvard’s face darkened a bit.

“I don’t like that,” he mumbled while stroking Jordan’s scarred hand softly. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore, sweetie pie. Never again,” he added in a murmur.

“Hmmm… “ Jordan mumbled, completely drowsy.

Håvard felt Jordan’s fingers blindly reaching for his again. So, he grabbed his hand, and pressed a soft kiss to it.

“…ove you, …aby,” Jordan muttered in his sleep.

“Love you too, sweetie pie.”

**Author's Note:**

> :)  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Lemme know <3


End file.
